Accidental
by smidget
Summary: Their romance isn’t tragic. It’s sunlight, snowballs, and strawberry icecream. In the summer after Harry’s sixth year, he considers his relationship with Ginny, because there’s just no escaping it.


**Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor anything from the Counting Crows.**

**Accidental **

_So she said,_

"What's the problem, baby?"

Harry paused in his inspection of the burn mark on the table. He couldn't decide if it looked more like a sheep or a pygmy puff. It was quite the brain teaser and he had been using it to distract himself from more perplexing thoughts. But it seemed the troubles flitting around in his brain had showed on his face, for a very pretty someone was asking him what the problem was.

And that was the question, wasn't it?

The truth was, Harry had been considering this very question for well over an hour now in between considering the burn mark on the table and the soggy dregs in the bottom of the tea he had poured himself earlier. What was the problem? He wanted to say that the problem was standing right in front of him, red hair pulled into a sloppy bun, hands on hips, and a cheeky eyebrow raised on her beautifully freckled face…. God, her face was beautiful.

But Ginny Weasley wasn't his problem.

The truth was, Ginny Weasley was what got him out of bed in the morning. She made him feel unreasonably happy by just being in the same room. Harry had found himself grinning madly at the most inappropriate times merely by sitting at the Burrow's scrubbed wooden table or around the fireplace with her. This confused Harry. She _should_ have made him miserable. She _should_ have reminded him of the hole that was ripped into him when he broke up with her. But instead she made him deliriously happy. And it was frustrating, because, for the life of him, he didn't know _why._

"What's the problem? I don't know…."

_Well, maybe I'm in love._

No. That couldn't be it. Love? The thought wanted to make him shake his head in disbelief and ask himself, "Where the heck did _that_ come from?" But he couldn't deny that the l-word had been floating around his head for longer than he cared to admit, constantly accompanied by images of flowing red hair, freckled cheeks and round lips, all of which now came together to form the girl that had pulled up a mismatched chair across from him and put her chin in her hands.

Harry felt himself relax at the sight of her. _Problem…_ he thought lazily. _I don't have a problem in the world. I'm in lov-_. No.

No. He wasn't going to go there.

Every time the thought drifted to the front of his mind, it scared Harry. It was frightening that he could be so emotionally attached to someone. Sure, he knew that there were people around him that he loved. He loved Ron and Hermione. He had loved Sirius. He loved his parents. He loved Lupin, and he loved Hagrid. But it was deep, platonic love of unconditional friendship. Being in love with Ginny… that was something altogether unknown to Harry and he simply couldn't fathom being so utterly dependent on the mere existence of another human being.

And yet thoughts of love and Ginny consumed him to the point that he could go hours with little else on his mind despite the weight of the world on his shoulders. Even when he was trying to distract himself with burn marks on the table. His mind wouldn't let it go.

_Love. Think about it._

_Every time I think about it… can't stop thinkin' 'bout it._

Ginny was still looking at from across the table, obviously unconvinced with his casual "I don't know." She waited, watching the subtle changes in Harry's expression as if she were noting them all, keeping a record off his every movement. Her head was still resting in her hands, her slender fingers folded up around her pale face and her eyes showing concern and interest.

It took Harry a moment to realize that he was blatantly staring at her. He blinked and tried not to look too sheepish, knowing it would cause a smug grin from Ginny. He ran a hand through his hair and resisted a sigh at the thought of just how many times he had caught himself (or been caught) staring at her. He had been getting suspicious glances from the many Weasley brothers whenever this happened. And yet, even with the threat of six older brothers, Harry could sooner stop breathing than stop himself from drinking in as much of Ginny as he could. It was like an illness, a disease, but there didn't seem to be anything he could do about it with her so close to him all the time.

_How much longer will it take to cure this?_

_Just to cure it, 'cause I can't ignore it if it's love._

_Love._

_Makes me wanna turn around and face me._

He had been at the Burrow for a grand total of five days and already, he felt like he was slowly slipping into some sort of paradise. The weather had been infinitely beautiful (in stark contrast of the previous summer). Blue skies, warm sun, and soft breezes made the time pass with a lazy ease. Harry knew he should be focusing on more important things, things that really couldn't wait, but he quickly convinced himself that he was doing the right thing in sticking around at the Burrow for a while. Every time he began to feel guilty, he would remind himself of Bill and Fleur's wedding and of the fact that these days, days of lounging in the grass with Ron and Hermione and of warm, home cooked meals, would be gone for an immeasurable amount of time as soon as he left. It was also frightening how easy it was to forget about the worries spinning around in his head whenever he looked at Ginny. She just had that effect on him and he was constantly caught off guard by the fact that any time he spoke with her everything else dropped away.

But when he was alone, or when he flipped through the mountain of books Hermione had brought with her, or when he grasped the metal locket that remained, always, in his pocket, he wished that he could ignore her. He didn't want anything distracting him from what he knew he had to do. He wanted to know she was safe. He needed to get over this… effect love had on him. It should be simple. How many times had he told himself to just ignore her? How many times had he convinced himself that being apart from her was the way it had to be for now, even if it didn't sit well with him?

_But I don't know nothin' 'bout love._

"Harry?"

He glanced at her face, and then turned to look out the window where the sun was at its highest. The room was filled with its warm yellow glow. He felt utterly relaxed and it showed in his voice which sounded slow and sleepy. "Hmm?"

She let out a sort of half giggle, looking skeptical. "What's wrong, Harry? You look so… distracted. You haven't been out of the house all day and it's gorgeous."

_Gorgeous, _he thought, and smiled at her. She smiled back and said, "I don't know how you can stay cooped up in here with the love-birds flitting around." She nodded at the door behind her that led to the sitting room where he knew Bill and Fleur were spending the afternoon. "I've never seen Bill act so lovey-dovey. " She grimaced and leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms out like a cat and clearly hiding a yawn.

Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't know how you spend all day with Ron and Hermione with them acting so 'lovey-dovey.' An awkward Ron and blushing Hermione is almost worse than their bickering." There was no argument from Ginny on that statement. The two of them merely sat in agreement on the two couples, both avoiding speaking of their own situation, which Harry had been surprised to note wasn't really awkward at all.

Which made it all the easier to leave the rest of the world behind and have nothing more than the kitchen at the Burrow, this table, Ginny, and him. It didn't matter if, the moment he stepped out that door, the ground would slip away and the sky would fall. He couldn't do anything about the sky falling anyway. He just wanted to chase this feeling and have the world catch up.

_Come on, come on,_

_Turn a little faster._

_Come on, come on,_

_The world will follow after._

_Come on, come on,_

_Because everybody's after love._

As they sat in comfortable silence, the sun crept across the table until it was shining on Ginny's face and she shielded her eyes from its rays with a freckled arm. She was beginning to look a little bored just lounging around in the kitchen with company that was not overly inclined to chat. Harry had the sudden urge to take her hand and run out into the sunlight if only to see her face light up with laughter rather than the flashy rays of the sun through the window. The more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea became until he thought, _I could do with some fresh air._

_So I said,_

"I'm a snowball running."

Ginny looked up at him with a confused expression. She raised one graceful eyebrow and her eyes sparkled with interest. She let a smile creep across her face and said, "Attempt at a meaningful metaphor or bad poetry?"

He laughed and, without thinking, he got up from his seat, grabbed her hand and led her out the kitchen door, out of the garden and into the small field between the house and the deep, cool woods. His long legs were moving quickly and seemingly of their own accord. Ginny's smaller form was almost jogging to keep up. "Where are we going, Harry? What's going on?" He looked back at the sound of her voice, a grin on his face, to find a similar smile on hers. He just shook his head and slowed his pace a little until they were walking briskly, side by side and still hand in hand. Ginny was looking up at him, seeming to study him, her eyes slightly narrowed as if she were suspicious of his odd behavior. But her fingers remained intertwined with his.

They came to the edge of the field and started along the small path that led into the wood and that Harry remembered led to a small spring of fresh, sparkling water. The walk wasn't long and in a few minutes they had reached the bank of the spring.

_Running down into the spring that's coming._

Harry turned and followed the flow of the river until it turned into a slight clearing and the golden sun shown down on them. He came to a stop and picked a soft spot of grass to sit down on. Ginny did not sit right away, but crossed her arms loosely and looked down at Harry's relaxed form. Her eyebrow rose once again and she looked down at the hand he had been holding and then back at Harry's face.

"Why are we here, Harry?" No more smile on her face now. Harry's own seemed to melt from his face in the heat of the sun.

"I just… needed some air, and I wanted some company. You looked bored back in the kitchen and I thought… well, you didn't object to coming anyway." He looked a little sheepish and let a small, tentative smile onto his face.

"I don't mind." Ginny shifted her weight from one foot from to the other. "I'm just a little confused."

He looked inquiringly at her. She let out a little (humorless) laugh before speaking again. "You spent all morning inside by yourself. You were either up in Ron's room reading or down in the kitchen staring at the table. You've been like that all summer!" Her voice was beginning to get more heated and she sat next to him to better make eye contact with him. "You've been cheerful enough I suppose. You always seem to be happy at meals. You've been eating just fine. You don't really shut yourself away you just… you've just been so quiet. What's the problem, Harry?" It was the third and most earnest time she was asking him and Harry felt inclined to tell her everything he'd been thinking about lately.

All of his thoughts from the morning and the past few days flooded back into his mind, filling him up as if he were drinking in the sunshine around them. Love. He looked at Ginny and all he could think was, _love_. He felt as though he would explode with the feeling. The sunlight was brighter, the gurgling stream more beautiful, the sky surely a more brilliant shade of blue than it had ever been before.

_All this love, melting under blue skies belting out sunlight shimmering love._

Well, baby I surrender to the strawberry ice-cream, never ever ending… 

Her face was so close. He hadn't noticed her come so near. Eyelashes, long and black. Red wisps of hair curling about her face. Deep, brown eyes. Her mouth was moving; she was saying something.

"Harry, can't you tell me? You-"

"I'm in love," he heard himself blurt out. He saw her eyes widen and was sure his did the same. He wished he could take it back; the words just hung there in the pregnant silence waiting for a response that seemed unlikely to ever come.

Ginny's head tilted slightly to the side and she blinked a few times. Oh, how Harry wished he hadn't said anything.

_Oh, this love._

_Well, I didn't mean to do it…_

But he had said it. He had told her he was in love. There was nothing for it. Harry kissed her.

…_but there's no escaping your love._

* * *

_These lines of lightning mean we're never alone, never alone._

_No, no._

Harry wasn't going to fool himself that the jet of red light that sped past him as he and Ginny hurried through the trees was just his imagination. They were heading towards the line of trees at the far end of the field, hoping to lose their pursuers in the process. Ginny was right beside him, dodging bushes and brambles as she mumbled darkly under her breath. Harry couldn't help noticing that despite the fact that her hair was quite a bit more disheveled than it had been half an hour ago and her cheeks were flushed (though not from the exertion of running), she looked beautiful even when she was angry.

Situations didn't often arise for Harry in which he wished that there were Death Eaters chasing him, firing off spells and he with no way to defend himself, but this was one of those times. Death Eaters he had dealt with, but angry Weasley brothers were quite a different thing entirely.

In Harry's opinion, Charlie, Fred and George were overreacting just a bit. He and Ginny had been exchanging _innocent _kisses.… Well, they hadn't been doing anything to warrant a nasty stinging hex in any case. Harry rubbed at the back of his arm again where he was sure there was a bright red welt.

Another string of light shot past him, blue this time, but Harry felt that they were gaining distance. He could see the edge of the trees rapidly approaching. He was about to turn toward the Burrow when he felt a small warm hand close around his wrist that pull him abrubtly to the right. He narrowly avoided a large pine before catching up to Ginny who was leading him to what appeared to be a tree house. A tree house that was fairly well concealed from any passerby not looking for it. Harry dared not let out a sigh of relief yet though.

The pair hastily climbed the dangling rope ladder into the little wooden room that had two wide windows and that contained a few faded coloring books, some rotted apple cores, and a few random leaves here and there that must have blown in over the years.

Ginny grabbed his hand once again and they headed to one of the corners, taking care not to make too much noise. They listened for any sounds of approaching Weasley brothers, but after a few minutes, the quiet of the woods remained so and they relaxed, stretching out legs sore from running. Harry was suddenly aware of how close they had become once again when his leg brushed against hers. He smiled at Ginny.

_Come on, come on,_

_Move a little closer._

_Come on, come on,_

_I wanna hear you whisper._

_Come on, come on,_

_Settle down inside my love._

Ginny smiled back up at him and scooted a little closer so that she was leaning against him, her head on his shoulder. She looked around at the rest of the tree house with something close to nostalgia. "None of us have come up here in years," she said, her voice slightly more than a whisper. "It may take a while for Charlie or the twins to remember it's even here."

"Let's hope they never remember," Harry replied, rubbing his arm again. "I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly a fan of stinging hexes and fleeing through the woods." She giggled a little and snuggled closer up against him. He draped an arm around her shoulder and let out a sigh of contentment. Maybe a few hexes would be worth it anyway.

"Fred and George will calm down soon. You'll just have to watch what you eat for the next few days… weeks." Another small laugh escaped her lips. "And Charlie will cool off… eventually."

Harry snorted. "That's very reassuring."

"To be fair, I'm sure most of their reaction was just shock. I mean, they wouldn't expect to find me out snogging a boy in the middle of the woods. Much less you being that boy."

Harry felt a little indignant at that comment. "And just what's that supposed to mean?" He tried not too sound to accusatory in his tone. Ginny laughed again, obviously not offended or defensive.

"Just that they've always thought of us as… not an 'us.' They still remember the little blushing girl who put her elbow in the butter dish and the scrawny boy who was too polite to say anything about it." Harry elbowed her a little at the scrawny comment. She elbowed him back.

"Wouldn't they have gotten used to it though? I mean, we were together before."

"Yes, but they didn't know that, we were off at Hogwarts. Come on, Harry. I don't exactly write to my brothers about my love life, for reasons I'm sure you now fully understand." He elbowed her lightly again and she giggled. Encouraged by this, Harry began tickling her mercilessly. They both soon forgot that they were trying to keep quiet. Ginny's laughter echoed around the tree house and than out the crooked windows and out into the breeze.

_Come on, come on,_

_Jump a little higher._

_Come on, come on,_

_If you feel a little lighter._

_Come on, come on,_

_We were once upon a time in love._

Harry and Ginny spent the rest of the afternoon in the small, worn tree house. As they sat and talked, Harry tried, once again, to figure out just how this had happened. Although the proof was right in front of him, he still found it hard to believe that he had fallen in… love. He hadn't meant to, but there it was. It was hard to believe that he had woken up this morning trying not to think of how long it would be until he could be with Ginny again. And now here they were.

Every moment of that afternoon glowed with more brilliance than even the low, setting sun outside.

_We're accidentally in love._

_Accidentally in love._

Harry treasured that day more than any day that came before it and it would forever stand out in his mind. It was hard, just then, to think that there were horrible things happening in the world, the world that seemed brighter, more joyous, as if it were reflecting all the fiery feelings coursing through Harry's veins.

_This is why I'm coming back,_ he thought, and pulled Ginny closer to him, lifting her up and spinning her around while she looked down at him and laughed.

_Come on, come on,_

Spin a little tighter. 

_Come on, come on,_

_And the world's a little brighter._

_Come on, come on,_

_Just get yourself inside her love._

His arm draped around Ginny's waist as the made their way slowly through the back garden of the Burrow. Harry left Ginny's flowery scent drift into his nose as they ambled toward the kitchen door. There was an orange glow coming from the behind the curtained windows, and another scent that Harry loved drifted out. Mrs. Weasley must be nearly done with dinner. The rest of the family would be gradually filling the wooden table Harry had spent so long studying earlier in the day. Harry was looking forward to settling down to what was sure to be a delicious meal. A fitting end to the perfect day.

He was not expecting to see angry Weasley brothers waiting in the doorway.

_It doesn't matter,_ Harry thought…

…_I'm in love._

_End._

* * *

**AN: Never have I written such fluff. grin I hope it turned out all right. Why not let me know….**


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